Research Corner: Video Self-Modeling

Claire White, Psychology Intern

In the Education and Research Division, we are always excited to explore new techniques; especially those that help improve or get rid of problematic behaviors. The latest technique that has received considerable research attention for many professionals in the field of psychology is video self-modeling (VSM). Through taping and editing only positive behaviors or behaviors that we want to continue to see, VSM becomes a movie filled with praise and self-assurance. The movies showcase the individual performing tasks or responding to situations in ways they never thought possible.

Research has shown that by viewing themselves performing appropriate, positive behaviors, the individual's disruptive and inappropriate behaviors are likely to disappear. For example, if a person takes too much time getting ready for work in the morning and you wish to speed up the process, video self-modeling just might do the trick. After taping the individual going about their normal routine, the video should be edited so that the individual appears to be getting ready in a timely fashion. The videos are often edited to include sound clips, applause and friends of the individual so that the person appears to be the star of their own movie. Continuously showing the video to the participant is thought to produce long-term, appropriate behavior. Everyone likes to be a star of their own movie with their best friends and other people praising their performance!

Video self-modeling is of great interest to The Baddour Center because it is found to be particularly effective for individuals with Autism, Attention Deficit disorders, motor problems, and expressive language problems. While the majority of the research with video self-modeling has been conducted on youth with Autism, VSM is spreading to older individuals with Autism and intellectual disabilities to hopefully "improve their independent functioning when working on vocational skills" (SooHoo 2009). Research finds that VSM results in fewer troublesome behaviors and more appropriate behaviors, for the workplace and at home. This is promising for Baddour because some of our residents tend to engage in troublesome behaviors at their homes, at work or both. Hopefully, by introducing VSM as a behavioral therapy for some of our residents we will see the same positive results as previous research.

Since my arrival at Baddour in January, Amanda Surdock and I have been exploring the effectiveness of this technique with some of the residents. Our experience with the technique began by identifying a particular resident's disruptive behaviors and the individuals the behavior was directed towards. Once those behaviors were identified, we knew it was important to make the resident feel comfortable with the people videotaping, the presence of the camera and the behaviors he would be instructed to perform. Therefore, Amanda and I both spent time with the resident, becoming familiar with the frequency of behaviors, the cause of the behavior and possible feelings that the behavior gives the resident. Amanda then drafted a short, realistic script involving interactions with other residents, conversations with peers and the performance of specific tasks at work and at home. The movie will be around one minute long and the first one features the resident performing simple tasks such as appropriate greetings and responses to situations. As the resident performs these greetings and responds in a more appropriate manner, the video features applause, encouragement from staff and fellow residents and a fun, motivating soundtrack. If the first video demonstrates successful behavior changes, we will continue with the video self-modeling, increasing the difficulty of the filmed tasks. Hopefully we will find such promising results with VSM that many of our residents will get a chance to participate in this fun, therapeutic activity!

It is our hope that through implementing VSM as a form of behavior modification, the challenging behaviors specific to the resident will decrease. Because video self-modeling helps the individual to understand how to hold conversations and develop confidence at the work site, we are anxious to see how this will translate to Baddour residents. By developing videos that are individualized to a particular resident's interests and challenging behaviors, we hope to give them the power to achieve. In giving them reassurance and confidence, we hope to help them defeat behaviors that are disruptive, inappropriate or repetitive. The self-modeling videos will not only make the resident feel like a movie star, but will also hopefully help the resident improve their social skills.